On Saturday, December 23, 2017, at 2:07 p.m., Lacey Township Police Officers were dispatched to Island Beach Distillery, located at 713 Old Shore Road in Forked River (Lacey Business Park) for a report of a fire with entrapment.  Upon arrival, officers learned that a distillery within had exploded causing injury to the owner.  The 38-year-old male from Forked River was conscious and alert, however sustained multiple burns to the lower half of his body. He was subsequently transported by Lacey EMS and Monoc Paramedics to Saint Barnabas Burn Center in Livingston, NJ.

The Forked River Fire Department with the assistance of the Lanoka Harbor Fire Department responded and extinguished the blaze. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ocean County Sheriff’s CSI Unit assisted in the investigation.

The Lacey Police Detective Bureau, along with the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office are on scene. The incident remains under investigation.

-Chief Michael C. DiBella